Bridging a faux gap

Louisville, Colo., is 1,682 miles by car from Waynesboro, but the expanse between points is far narrower in the imagination of those who have one and far wider in the eyes of those who prefer blindness to sight. Louisville is many things Waynesboro is not. Most recently, Louisville is No. 1 on Money magazine’s latest list of America’s best small towns.

A presumption that prevails unspoken is that Waynesboro cannot be this. Louisville is at a place that can’t be reached from here. It’s the same answer locals sometimes give lost city slickers wandering the country backroads. It’s true in the case of the former so long as presumptions persist and predominate. It’s false in both cases for those of the mind to keep driving.

So onward.

Louisville is a town of 18,800 people set in the shadows of the Rockies. “… [T]he top reason residents give for moving here?” Money writes. “The great outdoors. Louisville is laced with nearly 30 miles of trails, Rocky Mountain Park is less than an hour away, and eight world-class resorts are within two hours.”

Those listening closely might detect the sounds of familiar rings. Shenandoah National Park sits on Waynesboro’s doorstep. So too do ends of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive. Four ski resorts are within a two-hour drive. The Appalachian Trail winds past the city. And Waynesboro has something Louisville does not, affordability, meaning that people here tap similar recreational amenities while living in homes that frequently cost a third as much.

So what does Money cite Louisville as having that Waynesboro does not? Listen for the familiar rings. Louisville has a vibrant downtown, featuring burger joints, ice cream shops and this: “A Friday-night street fair, with a beer garden, live music, and games for the kids, runs all summer.” The local economy is primed for the new era, fueled by robust high-tech, energy and health care industries

This should sound familiar because the description reflects themes that have been constant in this space. Contrasts between Waynesboro and vibrant places start with downtown, this city’s great void. A venture down Main Street on a Friday night or a Saturday afternoon is enough to make one wonder whether those fundamentalist preachers have the rapture talk right after all. Where have all the people gone?

High-tech also has been a subject in this space. City council candidate Chris Graham’s advocacy of luring that industry here was enough for us to endorse him last year. Now is the time to talk about opportunities to build the energy industry here as Democrats pursue green initiatives with Republicans following willingly along. And Waynesboro officials might have noticed that Augusta Health, the regional hospital in Fishersville, is seeking a stronger foothold in the market, which will mean additional offices.

Add to this plans to open regional research and education centers as part of the proposed Mill on the South River along with developer Bill Hausrath’s Waynesboro Place project in the West End and the picture here brightens considerably.

Still, we continue to be disturbed by one other thing Waynesboro lacks. We are doing our able best in this space and through the River City 2020 economic visioning panel to provide impetus. That group’s members each are doing the same. But the real push needs to and must come from City Hall. We are champions of Waynesboro’s potential. Where are those champions among our elected officials? It is long past time for one to come forward.

Doing so is the first step toward discovering that Louisville, Colo., is far closer it currently appears.